【1989 Archives】

LAS VEGAS -- All that time Swagtron spent riding the waves of hoverboard popularity989 Archivescontroversy seems to have paid off.

This week at CES in Las Vegas, the rideable manufacturer introduced its first electric surfboard, the SwagSurf.

From a distance, the SwagSurf looks like a sort of puffy surfboard, but it differs from traditional boards in a number of key ways.

The roughly 8-foot-long SwagSurf arrives folded into threes and in a relatively small carrying case. The body of the device is inflated through a port on its top end. The SwagSurf is covered in a tough, drop-stitch fabric, and when I squeezed the board, it felt like it was filled with foam, not air.

On the back of the device, there is a small motor paired with a wireless remote control that the surfer can hold and use to control surf speed as he rides.

Like a regular surfboard, there are a pair of stabilization fins on the bottom, but in front of them is a hydrofoil. As you surf, the foil lifts the board and rider (who can weigh up to 240 pounds) up out of the water. To maintain stability, SwagSurf never completely clears the surface of the water, but Swagtron execs claim that it is lifted up enough to significantly reduce drag.

With the help of the motor, the board can glide along at up to 15 mph. It rides for an estimated 44 minutes per charge. Best of all, the battery is removable. If you buy a second 48-volt battery, you can open the battery compartment, which is accessible through the surface of the board, and put in a fresh one.

SwagSurf is designed to be used as a surfboard or paddle board, but I assume you could also just sit on it and let the motor drive you back to shore. It's a surfboard for lazy people.

Much of this, though, is "in theory" since the board I saw was purely an untested prototype. Swagtron still needs to make some refinements before the SwagSurf is ready for its first ocean test.

Swagtron execs told me they expect to complete those updates and tests soon and plan to ship the SwagSurf by the end of Q1, when it will list for $2,400 (the price includes the pump). For comparison, a decent surfboard costs about $350. So the question is: How much do you reallywant an electric surfboard?